Adequate ventilation is of importance in any building to avoid the accumulation of noxious substances. Building ventilators are found in a number of forms. These include simple fan mechanisms drawing stale air, humid air and fumes from a kitchen, bathroom or other suitable location and discharging it to the outside. These systems include heat recovery ventilators with heat exchange for exchanging heat between discharging stale air and incoming fresh air.
In addition, it is known that some buildings may be subject to infiltration and accumulation of harmful radon or soil gases in below grade parts of the buildings, for example basements. Various techniques have been developed for preventing or reducing this gas infiltration or accumulation.
It is also known that in some soils, a loss of moisture will cause the soil to contract, causing stability problems in some buildings.
The present invention is concerned with a novel heat recovery system that maybe associated with a ventilation system and that also addresses the gas infiltration and soil stability problems, at least to some extent.